MONA MITCHELL 2
by BreathlessFaith
Summary: Bosco, Faith, Mona...My view of what really should have happened when Faith ended up in that wheelchair.


AUTHOR: BreathLessFaith 

RATING: PG-13 for language

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything except the idea for the story.

A/N: I make up everything you read. Whether or not Faith could or couldn't do in a wheelchair is just stuff that came out of my head. I do think though that when people have been under a lot of stress and haven't let all those feelings out their kind of like a pressure cooker. The right amount of heat and the steam comes out slowly. You get the cooker too hot the steam builds up inside and the next thing you know Kaboom, it blows. This is what happens to Faith in this final chapter. Someone pushes the right button and all the feelings Faith has held inside all these months explode out of her. I also think once you let loose of all that emotion you can finally move forward. In case anyone doesn't know...I don't like Fred, I think he's a jerk. So I always tend to beat him up in my stories. I just can't seem to help myself. I have taken a scene from the show that Faith had with someone else and given it to a different character, I have added some words to the scene so it isn't exactly like what you saw on the show.

Thank you for your reviews of the first chapter I'm glad you liked it. Let me know what you think of this final chapter.

Now on with my story and I hope everyone goes out and buys THIRD WATCH THE COMPLETE SEASON ONE TODAY!

MONA MITCHELL 2

Bosco chose the exact moment that Faith's blood pressure was shooting up to make his presence known..."You gonna sit there in that wheelchair and stare out the window the rest of your life or are you gonna get up off your ass and get out of it?"

Faith froze for just a moment. Hallucination or not, Faith was going to wallop him upside the head with something! Of all the nerve! Who the hell is he to tell her to get up off her ass! Well she'd show him, Faith thought as her hand wrapped around one of Fred's softball trophies he had sitting on the window sill. This particular one looked like a gold softball with Fred and the team's name on it.

Bosco had a split second to think..."For a woman in a wheelchair she sure can turn around quickly"  
He had just enough time to see a flash of gold come flying out of her hand headed his way. Bosco dodged to the right just in time.

The trophy went through the open doorway and out into the hall where it hit the floor with a heavy thud.  
Now any other man would have watched where the object being thrown at him went. Not Bosco though.  
This was Faith and she was aiming for him. Since she missed the first time her hand was problaby already wrapped around a second object to throw at him. Bosco wanted to know which way to duck,  
and how big the object was she was tossing at him.

"Well there's obviously nothing wrong with your throwing arm Faith. Maybe you oughta use a little of that anger on your legs!" Bosco said as he ducked a second trophy, this one shaped like a batter that was headed his way.

"Why you miserable son-of-a-bitch!" Faith screeched at him. She turned back for another trophy to throw and realized that was all Fred ever had gotten was two. "Well that figures doesn't it?" Faith thought to herself as she looked at the now empty window sill. Faith let out a frustrated wail and screamed at Bosco..."GET OUT! GET OUT NOW AND DON'T COME BACK! MOM! MOM DID YOU LET THIS JAG-OFF IN HERE? MOTHER!"

"Yes your Mom let me in here. She also left me here alone with you! I can't imagine why she would think leaving me alone with you for a weekend was a good idea!" Bosco sputtered at her as he turned to pick up the now slightly dented trophies off the hallway floor.

Bosco tossed them onto the unmade bed and for the first time in months got to look Faith in the face. Okay it wasn't her normal beautiful face. It was a tad scrunched up in fury at him and a funny kind of fuchsia color.

"BECAUSE SHE'S AN INSANE WOMAN THATS WHY SHE THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA!  
I'VE TOLD YOU FOR YEARS SHE ISN'T RIGHT IN THE HEAD BUT YOU DIDN'T LISTEN TO ME DID YOU? NOW GET OUT!" Faith screamed at Bosco as she tried to reach the trophies so she could throw them again. The only thing stopping her was the angle of the wheelchair. The arm blocking her reach.

Faith let out another frustrated wail and started to back up the chair to realign herself with the bed.

Bosco took that as his cue to run. Which he did. He was going to close the door softly but the flying trophy made that impossible. So he slammed it behind him as he dashed into the hallway.

"BAM" went the trophy then thud as it hit the floor.

Bosco made his way back to the living room.He kicked his shoes off and grabbed the comforter laying on the back of couch. He wrapped himself up in it letting out a yawn..."Boy I'm tired. I need a nap. I'll let her sit in there by herself and stew for awhile." Bosco thought to himself as he laid down on the couch. "She wont come out of the bedroom for awhile. Which means, I'm relatively safe for the moment." On that final thought Bosco's eyes drifted shut as he went to sleep.

Bosco slowly opened his eyes, then quickly shut them again at the afternoon light shining through the window of Faith's apartment. He waited a moment then opened his eyes up again and focused on the clock in the vcr across the room. 1:30PM. He stretched himself out and then pulled the comforter off himself. Bosco headed down the hallway to the bathroom.

Several minutes later Bosco was headed back towards the kitchen. Bosco wasn't happy about the condition of the bathroom. In all these months and nothing had been done to make it useable for Faith. Not one single handrail had been installed. There was no way Faith could use it without some help.

Bosco's blood pressure rose as he realized Mona was right about what she'd said about Fred. Bosco had wondered at first if maybe Mona wasn't exaggerating but now he knew for sure. Mona knows what she is talking about.

Bosco's stomach was growling for food but he stopped outside Faith's door first. He listened for any noise at all, but there wasn't a peep. Bosco didn't think she could have wheeled herself out of the apartment past him without her waking him up. However this was Faith and she had been really pissed off at him. He better check.

Slowly and as quietly as he could Bosco turned the doorknob. So far so good, he thought as he still didn't hear a sound. Then he very carefully pushed the door open enough to peer inside. He heard something scrape along the floor and looked down to see the trophy she'd thrown still laying there.  
He crouched down and stuck his hand in and grabbed the trophy standing up again.

Bosco pushed the door open a little farther. Finally he spotted Faith. She was sound asleep in her wheelchair. Her head laying at an odd angle on her shoulder. He set the trophy down on the dresser and quietly stepped into the room. Her wheelchair was half turned away from the window and seemed to be pushed up against the bed. He came around the side of the bed and saw she had gotten the blanket tangled up in one of the wheels. Apparently she couldn't reach down far enough to untangle it and she was too damn mulish to call him for help.

He kneeled down on the floor and started to carefully pull the twisted blanket out of the wheel.

"Don't you dare hit me with anything now Faith!" He warned, feeling her start to stir in the chair.

He looked up at her as he pulled the last of the blanket free and tossed it back up on to the bed where it belonged.

Faith glared down at him, but she didn't make a move to touch him or anything else. Instead she reached up and rubbed her aching neck.

Apparently he was going to get the silent treatment now. Well nothing new about that. It was better than her yelling and throwing things at him. Bosco stood up and stepped behind her wheelchair.  
He pulled it backwards just a bit and then straightened it out.

"Can you get yourself down to the bathroom or do you need help?" He asked her quietly. He bit the inside of his cheek as he watched her head drop just a bit at his question.

"I can do it myself." She finally snipped at him.

"Okay. Take your time, I'm gonna see what I can make us for lunch." That was all he said as he walked back around her and out of the bedroom leaving the door wide open.

Bosco walked into the kitchen and thumped his head against the refridgerator door in frustration. He knew that right now Faith would rather die than ask him for help with the bathroom. He could only hope that some how she'd found a way to use it by herself. It had to be damned hard though, that chair probably only cleared the door way by a half inch on either side.

Bosco took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down as he pulled open the door he'd just been thumping his head against. Sandwiches would be the fastest and easiest. There was no lack of stuff to make them. It wasn't long before Bosco found himself slamming the mustard down on the counter as he heard the wheelchair bang into the doorway of the bathroom.

He had all he could do to keep making lunch and not go down there and insist Faith let him help her.  
Fred had a serious beating coming! By God he was gonna be the one to give it to him! No way he was letting Faith stop him either! Bosco thought as he slapped two slices of ham onto a slice of bread.

Bosco turned around with a plate in each hand to find Faith alreadywheeled up to the table. Her head was down and she was smoothing out an unseen wrinkle on her shirt. Bosco didn't say anything he just set a plate down in front of her. Then he poured both of them a glass of iced tea. He took a seat across from her and picked up his sandwich.

It was hard not to look at her, and even harder to keep his mouth shut. After a couple of minutes Faith picked up her sandwich and started to eat too. Fifteen minutes later and Bosco stood up. He leaned across the table and took Faith's empty plate along with his own and set them in the sink.

"Faith, I need to take a short trip to the store. I wont be gone very long. You have my cell number in case you need me. Do you want me to pick you up anything while I'm out?" Bosco tried to sound perfectly normal, he hoped she wouldn't hear the nervousness he had about leaving her alone. Bosco was sure though, that in all these months Faith had never been left alone.

When he'd turned to look at her, he could see her quickly trying to hide the small smile that had been on her face. It was all the encouragement he'd needed.

"You still have your key don't you?" Faith asked him quietly.

"Yeah. Your mom left me a set too. So I'm good." Bosco left out the part that Mona had also left the list of exercises the physical therapist wanted Faith to do, but Faith had refused. Bosco grabbed his jacket off the back of a chair and headed towards the door..."If you change your mind about needing anything just call me. I wont be gone long about an hour." Then he was out the door locking it behind him.

It took a few minutes for Faith to get a grip on the fact that for the first time in months someone hadn't treated her like an invalid. Sure he wasn't going to be gone long, but for Faith that wasn't the point. The point was Bosco believed that whether in a wheelchair or not Faith didn't need a babysitter.

For Faith that was enough for now. She wheeled herself over to the kitchen sink, thinking the least she could do was wash up the couple of dishes they'd used for lunch.

"DAMNIT!" Faith yelled in frustration. She'd just barely been able to grab hold of one of the plates in the bottom of the sink. It almost slipped out of her hand. The damn wheelchair wasn't high enough. Faith could just barely touch the bottom of the sink and she'd had a heck of time turning on the water. She wasn't all that sure she could turn it off. The tips of her fingers just barely touched the handles so she could push them enough for the water to flow.

Faith looked at the kitchen clock. "Two sandwich plates, two glasses and one butter knife. It took me twenty minutes to wash them" Faith said out loud to no one but herself. She took the tongs and put them back in the drawer where they'd come from. She'd be damned if Bosco found out she'd resorted to salad tongs to give her enough reach to turn the water on and off.

Faith wheeled herself into the living room and looked around for something to do. The room was neat as a pin. With the exception of the comforter that normally laid on the back of the couch. Faith wheeled over to the couch and picked up the comforter. The smell of Bosco's cologne overwhelmed her. She pulled the comforter up to her nose and buried her face in it. Faith pulled back, and tugged all of the comforter into her lap. Then she leaned forward and pulled it around her shoulders. Wrapping it tightly around herself, Faith leaned her head back against the wheelchair closed her eyes and just inhaled.  
It was like having Bosco wrapped around her. She breathed in and out. The more she did it the more she relaxed. The constant tenseness in her back slowly disappeared.

Thirty minutes later Bosco let himself back into Faith's apartment. He was just about to yell for her when he spotted her sound asleep in the middle of the living room, with the comforter wrapped tightly around her. She was scrounched so far down in it he could just barely see her face. He thought about waking her up but decided she actually looked peaceful. She used to look just like that in 55-David. They'd have a slow night and especially when Charlie and Emily were little Faith would just doze off. Bosco never could bring himself to wake her up.

So as quietly as he could Bosco took his packages along with his toolbox and headed for the bathroom.  
His quiet measurements let Faith get in another twenty minutes before he started up his cordless drill.

Faith jumped at the first sound of the drill..."What the hell is that?" Wiping the sleep from her eyes, Faith stretched and looked around for the noise. She pinpointed it to the end of the hallway in the bathroom.  
Faith pulled the blanket off of herself and folded it up best she could, laying it on the end of the couch.

Then she headed down the hallway towards the bathroom. Faith stopped just outside the door and tried to see what the heck Bosco was drilling. Last time she'd been in the bathroom, she hadn't noticed anything broken. Whatever Bosco was working on he was standing in front of and Faith couldn't see around him.

"HEY! BOSCO!" Faith yelled.

The drill made a funny noise because Bosco jerked when Faith yelled..."Damnit Faith! Look at that?  
Jez now I gotta start again!" Bosco snarled at her over his shoulder.

"I can't look cause your in the way! Besides the two of us wont fit in there together!" Faith said.

"Point taken!" Bosco said.."Hold on just a minute and I'll move."Bosco fixed the screw he'd been working on when Faith startled him

"Thats it! Take a look!" Bosco said moving back, so Faith could see what he'd been doing from her spot in the doorway.

"Those are handrails!" Faith sputtered as she looked at the bathtub and she spotted a couple on the wall by the toilet bowl and sink.

Faith snapped her head back around and glared at Bosco..."I don't need those!"

"Yes you do!" Bosco said glaring back at Faith.

"NO I DON'T!"Fatih growled at him, clenching the arm rests of the wheelchair so tightly her knuckles were turning white.

"YES YOU DO! UNLESS YOU WANT ME TO UNDRESS YOU AND PUT YOU IN THE BATHTUB"  
Bosco snarled back at her.

"YOU WOULDN'T DARE!" Faith snapped at him.

"Try me!" Bosco said with a smirk.

It was the smirk that finally made Faith back down..."Fine!" Was all she said, then she backed up enough to turn her wheelchair in the small hallway and went down to her bedroom where she slammed the door shut.

Bosco counted to ten before he picked up his tools and the one last metal bar he had bought. Bosco left the bathroom and stopped in front of Faith's bedroom door. He rapped once on it then pushed it open.

"What!" Faith snapped at him from the other side of the room.

"I want you to come over here please." Bosco said, holding her eyes with his Bosco made sure Faith understood he wasn't making a request it was an order.

"Fine!" Faith said and wheeled herself over to the doorway where Bosco was standing. He'd already set his tools on the floor.

Soon as Faith was next to him Bosco locked the wheelchair into place. Bosco came around to stand in front of Faith.

"I need you to stand up." He said quietly.

"Very fucking funny Bosco!" Faith spat at him, as she started to make a move to unlock the chair.

Bosco knelt down in front of her and put her feet on the floor and flipped the foot rests out of the way.

"I'm not laughing Faith. I want you to stand up. I'll help you." He said quietly as he stood back up.

"What the hell are you doing here Bosco?" Faith asked him confusion written all over her face.

"I'm helping my partner get back on her feet. That's what I'm doing here Faith." Bosco knew he was in for it when confusion lept from her face and instead it filled with unreleased anger. Anger Faith had been holding onto since she woke up and realized she was paralyzed. Fatih finally gave full vent to it. Letting Bosco have it with both barrels.

"MY PARTNER? YOU MUST BE KIDDING! I LOST MY PARTNER MONTHS AGO! HE GOT ASSIGNED TO ANTI-CRIME. HE DROPPED ME LIKE YESTERDAYS TRASH TO BOUNCE AROUND WITH WHOEVER NOBODY ELSE WANTED TO BE WITH! HE DOESN'T REMEMBER I EVEN EXIST! NO MY PARTNER IS TOO BUSY CHASING AND BEDDING THAT TIGHT-ASSED BITCH OF A SERGEANT! THIS UPSTAIRS, LOUDMOUTH, HIGH-RIDING CORRUPT COP! AS DIRTY A COP AS THEY COME WHO HAS NO PROBLEM DROPPING HER PANTS OR RAISING HER SKIRT IF IT GETS HER WHAT SHE WANTS! MY PARTNER WHO ACTED LIKE WHEN HE GOT THAT ASSIGNMENT GOT TURNED INTO A CRIMINAL BY THAT BITCH! WHEN MY PARTNER FINALLY REALIZED WHAT HE'D BECOME, HOW FAR DOWN HE'D SUNK ON TO HIS KNEES BESIDE HER...HE CAME BACK TO ME! SUDDENLY I'M HIS PARTNER AGAIN! I'M THE ONLY ONE HE HAS WHO CAN CLEAN UP THE FUCKING MESS HE'S GOTTEN HIMSELF INTO!"

Bosco tries to interrupt her tirade, he'd had no idea the extent of Faith's anger and he was really afraid of how upset she was getting. Her whole body was shaking. But at his first ..."Faith I know you are angry but..." Her hand comes up and slaps him in the chest daring him to try to stop her now.

"ME DO I HAVE A BRAIN IN MY HEAD? NO! I CAN'T BRING MYSELF TO TURN HIM AWAY! WHAT HAPPENS? I'M THE ONE THAT GOT SHIT ON! I'M THE ONE WHEELING MYSELF AROUND WITH A GODDAMNED BULLET IN MY BACK! AND NOBODY IS BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE

YOU'RE DAMNED RIGHT I'M PISSED! THAT BITCH COP SHOOTS ME, AND NO ONE GIVES A DAMN! NOT EVEN YOU!"Faith is so upset now that she has completely forgotten she isn't supposed to be able to stand up on her own. Bosco doesn't even try to stop the slap headed his way. He doesn't try because Faith had to stand up to deliver the blow to his face. As Faith's hand connects with Bosco's face she screams at him..."YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT I WANTED TO SHOOT THE BITCH! I WANTED TO KILL HER!"

Faith stops yelling and starts to pummel Bosco's chest with her fists all the while crying..."I wanted to shoot her! Dear god I wanted to shoot her!"

Bosco slides his arms around her just as her weak legs start to give out. The adrenaline rush that got her up on her feet is purged. Faith slumps against Bosco clutching his shirt front sobbing.

"Faith...Faith your standing up sweetheart." Bosco said in a soothing voice..."Faith did you hear me?  
You're standing up."

Faith stopped sobbing as his words clicked into her brain. She stopped looking at the front of his now tear soaked shirt and looked down.

Faith gasped and then looked up into Bosco's smiling face..."I can stand up! Oh Bos I can stand up"  
Her hands let loose of his shirt and slid up around his neck to hug him.

They held on to each other tightly for a few moments, Bosco couldn't keep from placing a soft kiss on Faith's tear soaked cheek. He pulled back just enough to look her in the eyes again.

"I'm going to step back just a bit. I want you to come with me so we get you away from the wheelchair.  
Don't worry, I don't have any plans of letting you go now." He added when he saw a frown start to cross her face.

Faith nodded and let Bosco move them back away from the wheelchair and out into the hallway.

"I think thats enough for one day. Here let me pick you up." Bosco bent down just enough to get his left arm under her knees and he lifted her up into his arms. Faith let out a small gasp, but Bosco assured her he wouldn't drop her..."I won't drop you Faith. I'll never let you fall again. I promise."

Faith gave him a small smile and laid her head on his shoulder as he carried her into the living room.  
Where he surprised Faith once more by sitting down on the couch with her in his lap.

Faith didn't move her head off his shoulder though..."Bos I'm..."

"Don't Faith. Don't you dare apologize to me. I'm the one thats sorry. You were right about everything.  
I should have listened to you about Cruz. The first time she did something over the line I should have run in the opposite direction.

I should have never stayed away from you for so long. I know damn well if it was me in that chair you would have pushed yourself back by my side no matter how long or how loud I told you to stay away from me. You needed me and I let you down." Bosco hugged Faith to him for a moment and then he whispered..."Faith look at me." When she lifted her head from his shoulder Faith found herself practically nose to nose with Bosco. There was no where else for her to look but into his blue eyes..."I made you a promise once Faith. I promised you that I'd always be there for you. I wont ever break that promise again. We're great when we're together. But you know the two of us are a fucking mess when we're apart."

Faith smiled at him and said..."Yeah we are. Let's not do this again okay?"

"Okay." Bosco agreed as Faith laid her head against his shoulder..."Can we stay just like this for awhle Bos? I'm tired."

"Sure sweetie. Anything you want. I'm tired too." With Faith tucked securely on his lap Bosco leaned his head back against the couch and closed his eyes too.

For the next three days Faith and Bosco worked on getting her back on her feet. The first day they went through all the exercises on the physical therapists list. By the time 5:00pm came Faith had yanked the papers away from Bosco and ripped them up.

Bosco sighed..."Faith I know you're frustrated this isn't going as fast as you want it to. But honey you gotta cut yourself a little slack. You've been off your feet for months. You can't expect to just hop up one day and run through the park again! You gotta build your muscles back up."

"I know I do. Why can't we go to a real gym? Why can't we go walk in the park? I can't stand being in this apartment a minute longer!" Faith said looking up at Bosco giving an impression of helplessness from her position on the floor.

"I tell you what. After dinner if you want to go to the park we can. I'm not carrying you out of this building Faith you gotta use the chair. If you don't you'll be exhausted by the time we get to the car."

Faith glared at him for a moment. Now that she'd been up on her feet she was pushing too hard to stay there.

"Okay. You promise that when we get to the park I can walk?" Faith asked.

"Yes. I promise we get to the park and you can walk as far as you can. Now I'm going to go make dinner. You go get washed up." With that Bosco turned away and headed for the kitchen leaving Faith to hoist herself up into the dreaded wheelchair.

Two hours later and Bosco was pushing Faith into the park..."You said I could walk once we got here"  
Faith growled at Bosco, glaring at him over her shoulder.

"And you will I just thought we could get in a little ways first. How's this?" Faith turned her head and smiled.  
Bosco had stopped near a small pond.

"It's perfect Bos. I'm sorry I'm such a bitch sometimes." Faith said as he locked the wheelchair in place and came around in front of her.

Kneeling down he pushed the foot rests out of the way while she held her feet up.

"You got a right to be bitchy Faith, but you aren't a bitch. Let's save that for Cruz." He said winking at her when he caught the smile she was trying to hide.

Bosco stood up and held his hands out to her. Faith slid her hands into his and let him help her get into a standing position. Faith grinned at him and moved forward as Bosco stepped back. Once she was clear of the wheelchair Bosco let go of her hands and came around to her right side he held his arm out for her to take and when she nodded she was ready they very slowly stepped forward.

There was a sidewalk going around the pond and they stepped on to it and slowly started around the pond. By the time they got halfway around Faith was no longer holding Bosco's arm she had her arm around his waist and he had his around hers helping her steady her legs. They came to a bench and Bosco suggested sitting down for a few minutes. While the pond wasn't very large, even at their halfway point Faith already had sweat beading up on her brow and her legs were shaking. Her breathing was more labored now, not that Faith would admit such a small walk was like having gone ten miles for her.

They sat silently for awhile watching the birds coming to roost in the trees around the pond as the sun went down.

Faith leaned her head against Bosco's shoulder and said sadly..."One day Bosco we're going to come back here and run around this pond."

"Yup. One day. It wont be long Faith, just don't try to rush it." Bosco kissed the top of her head and sighed.

"Okay I'm ready to go home." Faith said a few minutes later.

The next day Bosco took Faith to a gym that was only a couple of blocks from where she lived. He'd tried to get her to go to the policemen's gym but she absolutely refused to go anywhere, where she could run into someone she knew.

They worked out a routine that focused on building up the muscles in Faith's legs slowly. One of the instructors helped them. He said he had no problem working with Faith every day. Bosco however got a surprise when Faith told him, while she was grateful for his advice, Bosco would be there to help her.

"Faith you know I can't come take you to the gym everyday. It isn't far and I'm sure your mom will gladly bring you." Bosco said.

"This is because of Fred isn't it?"Faith asked, surprising Bosco with her insight into his refusal.

"Yeah Faith. Me being there for you at work...well that's work. Faith, Fred feels this is all my fault.  
He's right it is. Well it would just be better..."

"No it would not be better!" Faith said..."I've been a blind woman for a long time where Fred is concerned."

"He's your husband Faith. You love him." Before Bosco could say more Faith waved her hand at him.

"Yeah he's my husband. The only encouragement he's given me, is to take my time don't rush. If I don't feel like getting out of bed stay there. I don't have to worry about getting into the shower because Fred is more than willing to help me. Frankly Bos, I've never seen my husband so happy when he comes home from work and sees me sitting in that damned chair. He smiles at me, he's all hugs and kisses every time he sees me sitting in that damned wheelchair."Faith looked away from Bosco for a moment before she looked him in the eyes again..."Sadly though, I believe Fred is going to be really angry that I'm up on my feet. That I can get in the shower by myself. And he's going to go absolutely nuts when he finds out I fully intended to go back to the force. Back to my Partner in 55-David"

Bosco smiled at her and squeezed her hand.

Faith smiled at him..."I will come back to 55-David, Bosco. I will do it with my partner's help. Whether my husband likes it or not. So Tuesday morning you better have your ass at my apartment at 10AM. You got that?"

"Yes mam'm. I got that." Bosco said smiling at her.

Bosco and Faith went back to the park for another go at walking around the pond that night after dinner.

Faith still only made it as far as the bench. It was enough for now.

"I guess coming here for our walk when you get done with your shift wouldn't be a good idea huh"  
Faith asked him sadly.

"At midnight? I don't think so. Not unless I bring along the riot guns." This caused Faith to let out a chuckle..."But if you want. On my days off I got no problem taking you out to dinner and then coming here for our walk. What do you think about that?"

"I think I'd love that." Faith said grinning at him, while Bosco wondered to himself why he'd said he would take her out to dinner. It made it sound like a date. Then Bosco looked at her smile and decided if dinner with him could put a smile like that on her face, then he didn't care what it sounded like.

2:00PM Monday

"How's this Bos?" Faith asked him as she stood next to the couch one hand laid on it to balance herself.  
"Or how about if I sit and then stand up when she comes in?"

Mona had called Bosco and told him she'd be there in twenty minutes. Bosco and Faith had spent the morning in the gym.

Faith had been thrilled when Bosco told her Mona was on her way back. Faith wanted her mother to see her standing up by herself first. Bosco had told her he was leaving as soon as Mona got back.  
He told Faith he thought she'd want to be alone with her mom for awhile before Fred and the kids got back later that evening.

Surprising even herself Faith had agreed. For the first time in Faith couldn't remember when, she was excited to see her mother. It was the first time in a long long time, that Faith wanted her mother to be proud of her. The next thing Faith knew the key was turning in the door.

Bosco stood just inside the kitchen doorway as Mona came into the apartment. He had a perfect view of Faith and Mona.

"Hi Mom" Faith said quietly.

Mona looked over to the couch and gasped dropping her over night bag on the floor.

"Oh Faith!" Mona cried and rushed over to where her daughter was standing. For a long moment Mona just looked Faith over from head to toe.

Mona took one step closer and for the first time in many years knew that a hug would be gladly accepted by Faith. She wrapped her arms around Faith and was surprised when Faith returned the embrace.

Neither woman realized Bosco had picked up his own bag and quietly left the two women alone.

Faith's knees started to tremble and she whispered to Mona..."Mom I gotta sit down. I don't have much standing power yet but I'm going to get stronger every day. You just watch and see."

"I know you will baby." Mona said as she stepped back and then helped Faith around the couch so she could sit down.

"Maurice I can't..." Mona stopped what she was about to say as both she and Faith looked around for Bosco.

"He said he was going to leave us alone, before the kids and Fred came home. I thought he'd at least say good-bye." Faith told Mona.

"I'll be right back." Mona said giving Faith a quick kiss on the head before she hurried out the door hoping she could catch up to Maurice before he got into his car.

Mona came out the front door of the building practically running..."Maurice wait!" she called as she spotted him about to get into his car.

Bosco turned around and headed towards her..."Mrs. Mitchell is something wrong? Did Faith fall? She pushes it too hard. I keep telling her baby steps and she has to give her muscles a chance to catch up."

"No Faith didn't fall. I didn't get a chance to say thank you." Mona took the opportunity, Bosco's stunned expression at her words gave her to wrap her arms around the younger man, planting a soft kiss on his cheek..."Thank you Maurice." She whispered in his ear..."I'm going to love having you for a son-in-law."

"Mona, I think you've gotten a little carried away. I wont ever..."Bosco started to say moving back so he could look her in the eyes.

"Of course you will Maurice. Instead of feeding the fears that held Faith down in that chair like Fred did, you gave her the courage to stand on her own two feet again. It's been many years that my daughter has been happy to see me. It's been even more years that she's let me hold her. The only times I've ever seen Faith glow like that is when you've been around. You touch her heart Maurice. Whether you meant to or not, this time she let herself acknowledge the feeling. You're a good man Maurice Boscorelli. Don't you ever think you aren't." Mona gave Bosco one more hug and then she let him go as she headed back inside to Faith.

Mona stopped at the entrance and turned one last time to look at Bosco who was standing with his car door open with a completely..."I have no idea what the fuck just happened" look on his face. Mona smiled and then she yelled at him..."JUST HAVE A LITTLE FAITH MAURICE! JUST A LITTLE FAITH!"

Then Mona went back into the apartment building, leaving Bosco to shake his head and get in his car.

He turned the mustang on and as he pulled out into the street he thought to himself..."Who the hell am I to argue with Mona Mitchell? I doubt it does any more good to argue with her than to argue with that beautiful daughter of hers!"

THE END

A/N: I always thought the scene with Faith and the therapist should have really been Faith and Bosco.  
But what do I know.


End file.
